I am tired of hearing everywhere I go that engineers are boring people, don’t enjoy life, yada yada yada. In fact, if I ever run into a non-engineering person and she comes to know that I am one, the entire approach and behavior changes. And I am left defending my clan, especially those of women engineers, from the usual stereotypical accusations. So I am here, once and for all to debunk the (women) engineers myths.

1. Engineers, especially women engineers are boring and always talk about technical stuff. Dearie, I think what you meant to say was that your pretty head is not able to understand whatever I am trying to say. And no, I don’t always talk techie. I do talk about politics, who won the latest NBA game, religion, philosophy, but it guess since it is not about tupperware, it does not interest you. And you know what? Tupperware talk is BORING, and this time it is not because I don’t understand.

Anyway it fired me up to step up my minimal efforts to help make women in science more visible. These are just a sampling of the women engineers & bloggers who invent, prevent and dream paths to new ideas and worlds.

One of the definitions of engineering is the "discipline dealing with the art or science of applying scientific knowledge to practical problems". (via Definr) Now you might not think that you have engineering tendencies but if you have every applied clear nail polish to a run in pantyhose, if you have stapled a hem or have 10 alternative uses for duct tape you might be a latent engineer or inventor. If you are a mom or you have worked for an infantile boss, yes, you have engineering skills.

I start with Peggy at Women In Science cause I can't be messing around on this, I needed a science sherpa. At the blog you can select the post categories you want to dive into.

From Women in Science I was lead to Candid Engineer in Academia who will let you know that all is not pristine in those ivy covered towers. Yes, there are ding-a-lings in the hallow halls of science, even if they do have Ph.D.

At Alice Pawley on ScienceBlog Alice Pawley is asking interesting questions to women scientists and engineers;

All the recent talk about engineers 'round these parts has got me feeling a bit left out. You see, back when I was a girl, my parents encouraged my interest in the natural world. And they encouraged my brother's interest in all things electrical and mechanical. Today, I'm a scientist and he's an engineer.

I'm not suggesting that my parents consciously or unconsciously steered me away from engineering because I was a girl. Rather, unlike my brother, I didn't get pushed toward it. It wasn't until after college that I realized, with my academic interests, I would have been better served by pursuing an undergraduate engineering degree.

If you are a scientist or engineer you might want to take the poll located on the page. To me the comments are the true value. They dismiss a lot of foolishness by reveling that there are parents who encourage their daughters to explore and that there are women who truly enjoy the profession despite the obstacles presented by co-workers. You should also read the post and comments for "Engineering, Thy Name is Enlightenment."

Can you be an engineer without the ability to read and write? (Source A Little Bit Here, A Little Byte There)

Four dark-skinned women in multi-hued saris hunch over a solar power-generating circuit at the National Institute for Rural Development (NIRD) in Hyderabad, fleshing out details about solar lamps and panels for Indian villages. Chennamma, Yelamma, Kalavati and Zayda, all illiterate women in their 30s who previously worked as stone crushers in South India’s quarries, have left the furnace-like heat of their previous jobs to use the sun to a better purpose. This is the Women Barefoot Solar Engineers Association of Hyderabad.

Engineering is the "discipline dealing with the art or science of applying scientific knowledge to practical problems." Let no one stand in the way of your vision.

Recent Posts by Gena Haskett

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